The Detroit Lions open their 2026 season Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, and fans have plenty of questions heading into the opener. From Cade Mays’ return timeline to the secondary’s readiness to whether GM Brad Holmes should swing a blockbuster trade, we’re opening up the mailbag and tackling all of it before kickoff.

Are there any updates on Cade Mays?

Mays said he’s planning to be back around mid-October, and that fits the eight-to-10-week timeline we were initially given. If I’m guessing, I think there’s a potential that Mays returns to practice in Week 5. I cannot stress enough that part is a guess. But judging by the Lions’ usual ramp-up period of two to three weeks, let’s say he returns to practice after the Week 4 game against Carolina. He’ll have a practice leading up to Week 5, then the bye week to work out and get back into football shape. Week 7 gives him another practice week, so that’s a three-week ramp-up period. I’m guessing he plays against the Packers on Oct. 25. We’ll see.

What position group are you watching Sunday?

I’m watching the Lions secondary with intent. I feel good about the defensive line. I feel good about the linebackers. I feel good about the whole front seven. But I want to see this secondary in action. I want to see DJ Reed and Rock Ya-Sin and Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox versus Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, and Travis Etienne in the pass game.

This might not be the biggest of tests because the Saints are rolling with Tyler Shough, who is in his second season and didn’t play his full rookie year. He did play well once he got out there, though. New Orleans went 5-4 with him at the helm. It’s a good test either way, even if it’s not Week 2 where you’re playing Josh Allen.

On offense, I want to know what’s going on with the running back situation. I want to know who running back No. 2 is more than I want to know what the offensive line looks like. Those are the two position groups I’m locked in on.

How do you feel about the offensive line going into the season?

I think this is the deepest offensive line this Lions team has ever had. When you hear me say that out loud, you might think I’m crazy. But I’m talking about depth, not starters.

The fact that you can put Juice Scruggs in at starting center and feel good about it, and even wonder whether there could be some sort of center controversy by the time Mays comes back, is something Detroit didn’t have before. The fact that you can go to this left guard battle between Mahogany and Bartch and not know who’s starting Week 1 is a good problem the Lions didn’t have before.

I love the depth. Larry Borom is a bigger upgrade at swing tackle over Dan Skipper. Blake Miller is a better starter. Miles Frazier gives you an opportunity to do all kinds of things off the bench. He can play tackle, he can play guard. I think they’re going to start thinking about him as next year’s swing tackle.

When Mays comes back, you send Scruggs, a very capable backup who can also play guard, to the bench. Frankly, if he plays well enough, I wouldn’t be surprised if teams come calling at the trade deadline. But that’s me putting the cart before the horse. This offensive line is in a much better spot than it’s ever been.

Why do Lions draft picks seem to take longer to develop?

I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. It’s not like everybody is just bad until year three. Derrick Barnes is the one example where you can say year three he totally got it, but years one and two weren’t horrible. Amon-Ra St. Brown popped in year two and really popped in year three. Jahmyr Gibbs popped in year three to the point where the Lions decided they didn’t need David Montgomery anymore. Jack Campbell was decent years one and two, then popped big in year three. All-Pro all of a sudden. One of the highest-paid linebackers in the league.

I think every player takes time. That’s kind of my big thing with the NFL and their quarterbacks. There’s a one-size-fits-all problem where if the quarterback doesn’t pop year one, he’s supposedly never going to pop. That’s why I don’t understand why the Vikings moved on from JJ McCarthy this fast. He looked bad. He was a rookie. Give him a couple years. Instead, teams move on immediately, and then you get situations like Sam Darnold finding the right team and winning a Super Bowl.

The Lions are not in a position where they need a rookie to pop year one. They have a lot of good starters. Only one rookie is starting right now, and that’s Blake Miller. I think he’s going to be just fine.

Is Kelvin Sheppard’s job in jeopardy if the defense doesn’t improve?

No. I know people hate excuses, but excuses are the reason something didn’t happen. You could be the greatest coach of all time, but if all your players are hurt, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to fail if your best players are gone. Year one is almost a non-factor in the argument.

This is the year where you can really evaluate Sheppard. I thought he did well in his first season, especially that Tampa game. That was a master class with basically nobody. But you can’t do that for an entire season. That’s not sustainable.

I expect the Lions defense to improve, but if they have a bad year, I don’t think that automatically means Sheppard is out. It would have to be a really bad year. I don’t think he’s in any danger whatsoever of losing his job in 2026.

Do you expect the Lions to add a cornerback or safety to the 53?

No. I think the Lions feel good about where they’re sitting with their secondary, and they’re going to stick. Honestly, they probably should.

Now, if you’re asking about the trade deadline, I’m leaning towards the idea that this is the year Detroit makes some sort of deal. It might be for a cornerback, might be a safety. We’ll see how the year unfolds. It’s going to depend on who’s willing to trade somebody and who those teams are willing to move.

How many receptions will Isaac TeSlaa have?

How many receptions will TeSlaa get this year?

— UDJG Life (@udjg.life) September 8, 2026 at 7:25 PM

We put out an article predicting everybody’s stat line before the season and had TeSlaa at 24 receptions for 400 yards and two touchdowns. You might think that’s horrible for a third-round pick, but he’s got to contend with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs. That’s a lot.

The thing about that projection is it was two weeks ago. Greg Dortch was still on the team and I had him taking 34 receptions, so that could realistically give TeSlaa more catches. If you’re asking me today, I’ll go with a nice 30 receptions for 450 yards and three touchdowns. He’s not the top receiver on this team, but he’s going to serve a role, and that role is mostly contested catches and red zone work. Think about what Josh Reynolds and Tim Patrick did for the Lions. If the ball’s going to TeSlaa, it’s going to be for a 10-plus-yard catch more often than not. Then you use his height and contested catch ability in the end zone.

Can Kerby Joseph return to starting caliber?

Do you realistically think Kerby can return to starting caliber?

— dubceezway.bsky.social (@dubceezway.bsky.social) September 8, 2026 at 10:02 PM

I don’t know. Do I believe he can return to play? 100%. Do I think Kerby Joseph will be playing for the Lions in the final week of the season? Yes. He will be starting for them. But do I believe he’s going to be the guy he was a couple years ago? I need to see him play. I haven’t seen him play since last year against the Cincinnati Bengals, and when he was playing in that game, he was playing starting-caliber football with the knee injury. Ask me this question again two weeks after he’s played two games.

Why not sign Donovan Edwards?

I understand most of you are familiar with Edwards because he played running back at the University of Michigan. He’s out there right now after the Dolphins waived him. The easiest answer is he’s not an NFL running back. He hasn’t shown anything in two years in the NFL, whether in the regular season or preseason. This year in the preseason, Edwards had one carry for the Dolphins. Maybe he goes to the CFL or UFL, shows something, and gets another shot. But at this point, I don’t know if we see him play for another NFL team.

When will Holmes upgrade the quarterback 2 position?

I think the search is ongoing. I still wouldn’t be shocked if the Lions brought Will Levis in for a tryout. I’m a little shocked that only the New York Jets have brought him in so far. I think other teams are going to bring him in during the season, and I would be shocked if the Lions weren’t one of them.

In terms of a trade, I don’t think anything like that is coming down the pike anytime soon. I think they’ll keep a lookout at free agents, watch for teams cutting players, and monitor other teams’ practice squads. I 100% expect them to draft a quarterback in next year’s draft.

Is Drew Petzing going to try and score at will like the 2024 Ben Johnson offense?

I don’t think the Lions were ever content not scoring last season. They just couldn’t figure out how to get that offense going with John Morton. They weren’t content going into halftime at 10-10. They wanted to win and put up points. Drew Petzing is going to feel the same exact way. He wants to score as much as he possibly can, and he wants to do it now, not later.

Why aren’t the Lions making a power move to win now?

It’s not that the Lions are resistant to making a power move. I don’t think they feel like they need to make one, and I kind of get their understanding of that.

The Lions are not a bad football team. They have been an unfortunately hurt football team. They finished 31st in games adjusted to injury last year and 25th the year before. Stay healthy, and this is a good team with a lot of superstar players. They have just as many All-Pros and Pro Bowlers on offense as they do defense. No team has drafted more All-Pros and Pro Bowlers since 2021 than the Lions. They’ve already done all the things everybody thinks need to be done in trades via the draft.

A trade for Myles Garrett cripples the Lions. It cripples their ability to pay Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta and other guys down the road. The thing nobody pays attention to with the Rams trading for Garrett is that Los Angeles is mortgaging its entire future on one season. If they don’t win the Super Bowl this year, it doesn’t guarantee anything. We’ve seen teams make gigantic trades for huge name-brand players, form dream teams, and get bounced in the first round of the playoffs. I honestly cannot come up with any scenario in which one of those teams actually won the Super Bowl.

The Rams are in a position where they’re leaving Puka Nacua hanging in the wind. Matthew Stafford might retire after this season. They’re putting it all on one year, and then they’re in a ton of cap trouble. Why would the Lions want to do that? It would be so much better for Detroit to continue doing what it’s doing, stay healthy, have a real shot to win a Super Bowl as a team, and then maybe have a shot to go back and do it again next year.

There’s an opposite reaction every single time a team goes all in and it doesn’t work. Fans turn around and blame the GM for shattering their ability to draft better players and get younger. That’s why the Lions aren’t doing it, and they shouldn’t.

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